We did it together
by Jared
Summary: *New and improved version*Sakura has a trial to face. She tries to overcome it on her own. When faced with failure, she finds Syaoran there to help.


We did it together  
Jared  
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Dislaimer:  
The following characters belong to CLAMP and are only borrowed for this fanfic.  
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Hey. I don't think this really affects many people, since from the reviews that I got I could tell the story wasn't very popular. Anyway, I got an idea from a friend, who gave me a new idea on how the fic could be improved. So for those of you who were wondering, yup, the skeleton is the same, but I changed the entire chapter since there were too many flaws with it. Hope you find this version more satisfying.  
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[ I hate Math. Why do we even have to study Math? ]Sakura wondered. [ And how   
can some people like math? ] She wondered, her eyes pausing at Syaoran, his head bent low over his work.  
  
She watched as Syaoran calmly turned the page and continued answering the   
questions of the test with ease.  
  
The moments were ticking by. Sakura chewed at her lip. [ Ok, let's try this once   
more. If you want to prove that it's an Arithmatic Progression (AP) you need   
to...Ummm...you need to... ] "Argh! I can't do it!" Sakura yelled in frustration.  
  
There was an eerie silence. Sakura sweatdropped. Everyone had stopped writing   
and had turned around to look at her. [ Oops, I must have said that out loud,   
eh? ] Sakura laughed nervously. [ And in the middle of a test too. ] Sakura   
blushed crimson.  
  
Some of her classmates glared at her outburst before turning back to their work.   
* * * *   
"Sakura, what was all that about?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Sakura blushed crimson. "Was I that loud?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.  
  
"You're kidding!" Tomoyo shook her head in disbelief. "You should have seen the look Meiling gave you!"  
  
Sakura sighed. Meiling and Sakura had never been close, since Meiling believed that Sakura was out to seduce Syaoran. [Syaoran...]  
  
Sakura had a crush on Syaoran. Those amber eyes had caught her attention almost immediately. [They are so...sad looking. ]   
  
"Earth to Sakura...Earth to Sakura." Tomoyo's voice sounded distant. "Sakura?"  
Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry. You said something, Tomoyo-chan?" she asked.  
  
"I was just asking you about the test, but you seemed to be deep in thought. What were you thinking about anyway?"  
  
The blush was back, though fainter this time. [ What am I going to do? I can't tell her I was thinking of Syaoran... ]   
  
"Sakura..." Tomoyo called her name anxiously. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Hai. Say Tomoyo, do you want to study together later? I really need to brush up on my Math. If I fail one more time, I may not pass the final. Hoe! Then...Then I can't go to high school!"  
  
"Calm down Sakura. I'll help you after choir practice, ok?"  
  
"Arigatou Tomoyo-chan." Sakura said gratefully.  
* * * *   
"See, you just use this formula and put it in place, and there you have it." Tomoyo explained patiently.  
  
"So, the answer I get would be...4/3?" Sakura asked without much confidence.  
Tomoyo looked at her own work. "Um...Sakura...I think the answer is 2/5" She said quietly.  
  
"Oh." Was all Sakura managed to answer.  
  
"Look Sakura, I think you've had enough for today. Why don't we pack up and continue another day?" Tomoyo suggested. "You look like you could use a rest." Tomoyo said.  
  
"I guess... " Sakura replied disappointedly. [ I bet she's losing patience. ]   
  
As though reading her mind, Tomoyo hastily cut in. "It's nothing personal Sakura-chan. It's just that you look tired to me. If you want, we can continue. Are you up to it?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Sakura smiled. [ How silly I was to think that of Tomoyo. ] She shook her head. "Iie, Tomoyo chan. You've got a point. I'm feeling really tired. Come on, let's head on home."   
****  
"Tomoyo chan, I'm so worried. What if I don't do well for this quiz?" Sakura was nervous.   
  
Tomoyo smiled reassuringly at Sakura. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. I know you'll do just fine. It'll be ok. Don't worry."  
  
Sakura sighed. "I hope you're right." she muttered under her breath.  
****  
[ I failed...] Sakura felt awfully sad. [ It's not fair. I worked so hard at it. ] Sakura thought bitterly. She eyed Syaoran's score enviously.  
  
"Wow, Syaoran-kun. You're really good at Math." Sakura said enviously.  
  
Syaoran blushed. "It's not that great." he said, trying to sound modest, still blushing furiously.  
  
"But it is!" Sakura said sincerely. A sad look came over her face. "I just wish...I just wish I could do half as well." She sighed. "But I guess I'm just too stupid." she whispered. Syaoran looked up in shock. [ Did Sakura just say what I thought she said? ]   
  
Looking up at Sakura's desolate face, Syaoran felt surprisingly sad. "You know Sakura, I could give you a hand if you want." Syaoran said, surprising both himself and Sakura.  
* * * *   
"So Sakura, do you understand it now?" Syaoran asked, his amber eyes searching for a sign of understanding in her eyes.  
  
Sakura nodded. "I guess so." she said uncertainly. [ At least, I certainly hope so! ] She prayed fervently. [ Let me get this right, please, let me get this right Kami-san ]   
  
Sakura glanced at the question. Gripping her pen hard, she racked her brains for an answer. "This is like the one you just did. Come on Sakura, you can do it. You just...um...divide, no multiply. Or was it divide? The common difference can be found...er...factorise...erm..." Sakura babbled to herself. Suddenly, she was aware of Syaoran's throaty chuckle. [ Is Syaoran laughing? ] She thought in disbelief.   
  
Syaoran was trying his best to control the gale of laughter that was welling up inside of him. His face of red, and he tried without success to pull the corners of his mouth back into its usual scrowl. Sakura had a feeling he was laughing at her. She cast her eyes on her paper and asked, "What's so funny?"  
  
Syaoran gulped. "Do...Do you...Do you always talk to yourself when you're doing math?" he asked. He straightened his face. "I'm sorry Sakura." he said seriously when he saw her blush deeply. "No, I don't think this is working for you. You've gotten an AP mixed up with a GP. Hmm...." he said thoughtfully.   
  
"Of course!" he shouted triumphantly. "Sakura, I know how it can be done now!" he yelled.  
  
Sakura sweatdropped. "Um...Syaoran-kun?" she asked nervously. Syaoran merely grinned as he picked up his pencil and scribbled furiously on a piece of paper. There was silence as he worked. All that could be heard was the scratching sound his pencil made as it flew across the paper.  
  
"There!" Syaoran declared, picking up the paper and looking through it before passing it over to her. "This should help." he said.  
****  
[ Now Sakura, don't panic. Don't panic. Think. Is this an AP or a GP? ] She closed her eyes and recalled the words that Syaoran had scribbled.   
  
A GP is like building a tower,  
The numbers gets higher, never lower.  
AP is the friendly one,   
SImple addition and you're done.  
  
To choose between the two,  
Is the first task meant for you.  
Divide large numbers, make them small,  
Then there's nothing to them at all.  
  
See the difference between the two,  
And that my friend, is my clue for you!  
  
Initially, Sakura had been baffled by it. However, the rhyme in the poem had intrigued her greatly. She read through it again and again, trying to decipher the meaning. Then, she understood what Syaoran was trying to do, and she felt awfully touched.   
  
Syaoran knew of her dislike for Math. So he tried to make the mathematic reasoning into a poem to make it easier for her to recall. And that was enough.  
****  
[ I passed! I...I actually passed! ] Was all Sakura could think of. The retest that she had been forced to take as a result of her poor performance in the previous two tests had gone much better than she had imagined.   
  
"So...how did you do Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, seeing Sakura's bloodshot eyes.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, I...I...I PASSED!" Sakura said in disbelief.  
  
"I told you you could do it." Tomoyo said cheerfully.  
  
[ No, I couldn't do it. Not without Syaoran. ] Sakura thought as she flashed Tomoyo a cheerful smile. 


End file.
